Invasive Plants

Invasive nonnative plants infest approximately 2.6 million acres in the National Park System, reducing the natural biodiversity of these places. They alter hydrologic conditions, soil properties, and fire regimes. These changes in native plant communities may displace rare plant species and affect wildlife species that depend on them for forage, breeding, and nesting habitat. Areas where the ground is disturbed by human activity, including along park roads and trails, are most vulnerable to invasions by nonnative plants which, once estatblished, can be difficult or impossible to eradicate.